Friday, March 20, 2015

You know those moods where you can't remember why you ever wanted to publish? You would honestly rather go to the dentist than sit down at the computer. You're tempted to go back to writing for fun and posting stories online for people to read for free. Think of all the money you'd save on marketing and book covers! No stress. No deadlines. No reviews.

Courtesy of Pixabay

I have been sitting on a lump in the middle of that bog for well over a week. The only thing that's kept me going is habit. I get up at the same time every day. I feed the cats, make coffee, and plop down in front of the computer to dedicate the first three hours of each morning to churning out chapters. On particularly bad days, I'll lie in bed and contemplate abandoning that ritual, but it always inspires the same question: if I'm not going to write that morning, what am I going to do instead? I rarely find a satisfying answer so I get up, hoping after an hour or so of working I'll either get sucked into the story enough to forget I'm sick of the ritual or think of something else to do. Since I hate to leave a scene half finished, I end up another chapter closer to a completed manuscript even if the passion to publish it is dormant.Apparently my answer to the question of why I publish is because I'm a creature of habit!What do you guys do when you lose the passion for publishing or maybe even writing? How do you talk yourself into finishing that next book when you would rather spend the time on YouTube or playing on your Wii or being with your kids?

Friday, March 13, 2015

Have you heard about the new partnership between Google and Twitter? Neither had I. When it finally hit my in-box I didn't think it made any difference. Having tweets show up almost instantly in a Google search didn't seem to matter except in an accidental and fortuitous kind of marketing.

Then I read a more in-depth article about it and realized the connection could have bigger repercussions for some writers. Let me give you an example. Suppose you're in the middle of one of those ill-advised online fights with another writer or their readers. It spills from Goodreads to Facebook to Twitter as most things do. Later that same day, a new reader Googles your name to find out more about your books. What do you think comes up at the top of the search results? Tweets with your author name pointing directly to the bitchy little blowout that highlighted some of your worst moments in the public eye.

Guess what is going to be spread to other readers by that new person who has just had their first official introduction to you? They don't even know your titles yet but they know your name and they think they know your reputation. Congratulations. You've just been relegated to the "never buy" list of a reader who hasn't read so much as your book's blurb. What does that mean in an era of increased competition where every book has to stand out against thousands of other options?I'll say it again...control your image online or it will kill your career.